The West Bengal Health Department on Tuesday barred doctors from Midnapore Medical College from performing surgery after a pregnant woman died, while three others remained in critical condition, allegedly due to drinking expired salt in the college.
“All departments of Anesthesiology, OBS and Gynae, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology and ENT departments are instructed that all surgical procedures should be performed by faculty/bedside supervisor, SR with MD/MS Degree. Surgical procedure should not be performed by PGT/JRs themselves,” said the Ministry of Health in a statement.
This happened after Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant revealed that “doctors in training are handling the treatment of women”.
The main report suggested that the cause of the incident was “negligence on the part of newly qualified doctors”.
In response to the government’s report on this incident, the Ministry of Health said that those who are trained to perform surgery will be disciplined as it is considered a punitive case.
“If PGTs do OT on their own then it will be treated as a punishable offence. In such cases, disciplinary action will be taken. All concerned are duly informed,” read the official notification.
This incident caused an uproar from opposition groups. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and the Left Front staged protests in Midnapore, demanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation as the state’s health minister.
Adhikari called for a thorough investigation into the negligence of the Ministry of Health in the government. The BJP and the Left Front accused the government of failing to ensure the safety of medical supplies in government hospitals.
The family members of the deceased filed a complaint with the police, complaining that the hospital management was responsible for his death.